The next intellectual property thief may sound like your CEO

Impersonation, phishing and domain-name abuse are the most concerning types of online intellectual property infringement, according to CSC’s The State of Online IP Risk 2026 report. Internet and branded content, online marketplaces and paid search were the channels most frequently targeted.

CSC surveyed 300 senior executives specializing in intellectual property law during the second quarter of 2026.

Top three operational challenges when managing IP infringements (Source: CSC)

“We know from dealing with our customers that IP infringements are a serious problem,” says Mary Jo Murphy, Product Manager, Brand and Fraud services, CSC. “There are revenue impacts when counterfeiters advertise and sell goods that appear to be yours but aren’t. This activity can also affect consumer trust, especially when you’re talking about the risk to safety with products such as pharmaceuticals or car parts.”

Twenty-seven percent of respondents reported a significant increase in intellectual property infringements over the past 12 months. Fifty-two percent expect a significant increase over the next three years as the volume and variety of infringements grow. Third-party specialists can provide the global resources organizations need to address these threats.

Elliott Champion, Global Product Director for Brand Protection at CSC, cited a sophisticated Fashion Week scam that promised access to runway-show tickets, private shopping experiences, dress rentals, photo shoots and service packages. The scammers requested payment in Bitcoin and other virtual currencies. The campaign demonstrated how fraudsters tailor scams to specific interests and industries.

The channels most exposed to infringement

Internet and branded content was the most frequently targeted category, cited by 28% of respondents whose organizations had experienced an increase in online intellectual property infringements. Online marketplaces and paid search followed.

Criminals can create malicious advertising templates and deploy hundreds of ads across social networks. Even though placing the ads costs money, it allows them to reach large audiences.

Clients are reporting executive impersonation on LinkedIn. Fake chief executives contact users with fraudulent job opportunities and collect personal information that can be used in subsequent attacks.

The expansion of online retail from established marketplaces to social platforms is creating more opportunities for intellectual property infringement. Consumers buy products through advertisements on platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, adding to the number of channels organizations must monitor.

Web content, marketplaces and paid search are attractive to criminals because they are visible, trusted by consumers and difficult to monitor at scale. Impersonation attacks create a substantial preparedness gap by combining technical abuse with social engineering to exploit human trust.

CSC analyzed domain registrations ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup found 65,590 third-party domains containing “FIFA” registered between January 2022 and April 2026. Activity peaked when the final teams were confirmed. Some domains were created lawfully, while others were linked to fake ticket sales, travel and accommodation offers, merchandise, streaming services and giveaways designed to steal personal or payment information.

Domain expansion raises costs and risks

AI governance is expected to become more important as criminals use the technology in attacks involving intellectual property.

Murphy described the global regulatory landscape as fragmented, with European regulators leading efforts to address different forms of abuse. Regulation in the United States is emerging at the state level, while the federal government may eventually follow the European Union’s approach.

Sixty-six percent of respondents identified regulatory issues and penalties as a significant consequence of intellectual property infringement.

ICANN’s 2026 application round for new generic top-level domains, or gTLDs, has also raised concerns. The cost of defensive registrations across a growing number of gTLDs was respondents’ leading concern about expansion of the domain namespace, cited by 60%.

Fifty-eight percent were concerned about increased cybersquatting or brand-infringing registrations under new extensions.

AI makes infringement faster and harder to detect

Attackers use AI to create digital copies of assets ranging from logos to people’s voices. The technology makes fraudulent content and impersonation more convincing and easier to distribute across digital channels.

Ninety percent of respondents said AI-enabled systems were increasing the frequency of online intellectual property infringements and similar threats. AI is also helping organizations automate and expand their intellectual property protection efforts, including infringement monitoring.

Attackers are gaining the same advantages, using AI to launch familiar scams faster and target more victims.

Intellectual property protection often involves marketing, IT, legal and security teams. Respondents identified slow enforcement processes, limited staffing and high volumes of infringement as their main operational challenges.

Most organizations outsource no more than half of their infringement monitoring to specialist providers, potentially leaving visibility gaps that allow threats to persist and increase business and reputational risks.